Criticism of the Inheritance Cycle
Anti-Eragonism refers to opposition towards the Inheritance cycle. There is also a population that believes that Christopher Paolini is a writer of less than average skill. Various groups and websites have been founded for this purpose since the first book, Eragon, was published. Derivative Similarities to Tolkien Many critics hold that some of the story’s aspects come directly from J. R. R. Tolkien, such as the following: * The elves of both Tolkien and Paolini are tall, beautiful, immortal, and have keen senses. Additionally, these elves have strong bonds with nature and some live in the trees. As some Elves returned to Middle-earth in Tolkien’s legendarium, Paolini’s elves came from a land over the seas, do not sleep, and the only way to death for them is through a wound or heartbreak. * Another similarity is the quote of Paolini’s elvish queen Islanzadí, "I am diminished." and the quote of the Tolkien’s elven Lady Galadriel, "I will diminish." * Critics also see similarities in the dwarven race. The concept of a gruff mining race is found in the works of both authors. The elves and dwarves in both cases do not get along, but for different reasons. * Surda is also comparable to Gondor, the Man Kingdom at the borders of the evil lands. * Many also see the forbidden love between Arya and Eragon as a reproduction of the love between Arwen and Aragorn. *Many have made comparisons between the evil races of both stories: Ra'zac and Nazgûl, the Lethrblaka and Fell Beasts, the Urgals and Orcs, and the Kull and Uruk-hai. *Critics furthermore believe that Paolini directly copied names from the works of Tolkien or just switched some letters around. The following is a list of possible such names: *'Angrenost' – king of the Broddring Kingdom :*'Angrenost' – Elvish name for Isengard *'Ardwen' – lake of Alagaësia :*'Arwen' – elven noblewoman *'Eragon' – hero of the Inheritance cycle :*'Aragorn' – a hero of The Lord of the Rings (Note: Aragon is a region of Spain, and Christopher Paolini has stated that the name came from the word dragon.) *'Beorn' - the elves' name for a cave bear unique to the Beors :*'Beorn' - a character in 'The Hobbit' who had the power to transform into a bear (Note: Beorn is also an Old Norse word meaning bear.) *'Celbedeil' - a dwarvish temple :*'Celebdil' - a peak of the Misty Mountains *'Ceranthor' – an elvish monarch :*'Caranthir' – one of the sons of Fëanor *'Elessari' – a member of the Council of Elders :*'Elessar' – title of Aragorn *'Eridor' – a former dragon :*'Eriador' – a region of northern Middle-earth *'Furnost' – minor town in Alagaësia :*'Fornost' – a deserted city in Middle-earth *'Hadarac' – a desert in Alagaësia :*'Harad' – a desert in Middle-earth *'Inzilbêth' – the province where Galbatorix was born :*'Inzilbêth' – a queen of Númenor *'Isenstar' – a lake of Alagaësia :*'Isengard' – a large fortress of Middle-earth *'Kirtan' - a city in Du Weldenvarden :*'Cirdan' - a very old elf and one of the holders of the three rings *'Melian' – a town of Alagaësia :*'Melian' – a minor goddess and queen of Doriath *'Mithrim '– part of the name of a stone art piece :*'Mithrim' – a land of Beleriand *'Morgothal' – fire god of the Dwarves :*'Morgoth' – the evil god appearing in The Silmarillion *'Vanilor' – a former dragon :*'Valinor' – the homeland of the elves and gods However, even in cases where names resemble each other, this could simply be an Eragon homage to Tolkien's works. An example of an homage in Eragon would be the Palancar Valley, which was named after artist John Jude Palencar as a tribute to his talents. Similarities to Lucas Critics also claim that the plot line of the Inheritance Cycle is similar to that of Star Wars. Other Similarities Other than The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, critcs have found other similarities elsewhere. In the series Dragonriders of Pern, the dragons choose their Riders and speak to them telepathically, as they do in Eragon ''. The dragon Tiamat also speaks telepathically in the book ''Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher. The beginning of Eragon resembles the beginning of Robert Jordan's The Eye of the World, and the end resembles that of The Dragonbone Chair. There are also similarities to Edding's Belgariad series, in the passage in which he learns to take energy from his surroundings. It should also be reminded that authors often "borrow" ideas from other writers as a way of paying their respect. The tales from The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and many other fantasy books and films are extremely integrated into the popular culture, often leading to authors unintentionally use plot lines from their favorite childhood books and screen plays. Also, every single story Eragon is said to have borrowed from, is based off the same exact archetypal story as The Hero's Journey, from Joseph Campbell's book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Unrealistic Warfare The warfare and weaponry of Alagaësia has also come under scrutiny. The books mentions that at least some of the nobles armor being gold, which is highly unrealistic. No general or noble who is in front line battle would use gold as an armor of any type; gold is heavy and incredibly soft, making it useless as armor or weapons. Additionally, many feel that the massive poisoning carried out by Angela is unrealistic. Critical readers also noticed the lack of archers or cavalry among the ranks of the Empire. The trebuchets have also been the object of criticism, as they are used on a battlefield. This is highly ineffective as trebuchets are meant as siege weapons. Critics also feel that the description of the battles leave out the horrors of war and in a way glorify fighting. Language Critics also have found errors in both the story's pseudo-archaic language and the Ancient Language itself. The bits of archaic English, such as "aye", "thee", "thine", etc., are often used incorrectly. On page 367 in Eldest, Orik says, "What has put me in mine state?" "Mine" was only used before vowels, and thus this usage is incorrect. It is possible that because Orik was drunk on faelnirv, however this usage seems to be common among the Dwarves, so it may be part of their dialect and this "mistake" could justified. However, "mine" is also used incorrectly on page 78 of the Eldest hardback edition: "Mine king, Hrothgar, desires that I present this helm as a symbol of the friendship he bears for you." In this passage, Orik is sober and consciously using the word incorrectly. Additionally, the peoples of Alagaësia make a distinction between the pronouns "thou" and "you", one being familiar and the other being respectful. However, many times they use both of these pronouns in the same sentence, which is highly improper. Many critics believe this to be a result of lack of research on the part of the author. The Ancient Language itself has no distinct grammatical structure, and this has become subject to further criticism. Page 294 in Eldest reads: :"You blessed a child in the ancient language?" asked Oromis, suddenly alert. :"Do you remember how you worded this blessing?"'' :"Aye." :"Recite it for me." :Eragon did so, and a look of pure horror engulfed Oromis. :He exclaimed, "You used skölir! Are you sure? Wasn’t it sköliro?" :Eragon frowned. "No, skölir. Why shouldn’t I have used it? Skölir means shielded. '…and may you be shielded from misfortune.' It was a good blessing." :"That was no blessing, but a curse." Oromis was more agitated than Eragon had ever seen him. "The suffix o forms the past tense of verbs ending with r and i. Sköliro means shielded, but skölir means shield. What you said was ‘May luck and happiness follow you and may you be a shield from misfortune.’" There are two problems with this explanation of the Ancient Language. Oromis says that "skölir" means "shield" and that you add an "o" to make it past tense. "Shield" in this case is a noun as evidenced by the translation, "a shield"; therefore, it cannot have a past tense. Some fans say that this is because "shield" can be a noun and a verb, as in English. If this is the case, many feel that this shows another example of the author translating the English language word for word without giving thought to the wide range of semantics. It has also been noted that by adding an "o", he did not make it past tense but made it passive. The phrase "be shielded" is in the present passive and not the past active. Another minor complaint is the use of names such as Islanzadí, Ra'zac, and Zar'roc, which some feel look out of place in a Norse-based language. These names and others are also filled with seemingly useless diacritics, for Paolini has not clarified what they mean. Science In random places throughout the series, the subject of scientific investigation is brought up. In one scene, King Orrin claims that by mixing potassium and water he came up with "quite violent" results. King Orrin also seems to invent a vacuum in a process which is almost identical to that process used by Evangelista Torricelli. This short focus on science seems out of place in a medieval fantasy world. The rest of Alagaësia is in a very primitive state, yet King Orrin seems to be doing experiments that are more fit for the 17th, 18th, or 19th centuries. Domia abr Wyrda The Domia abr Wyrda from the Deluxe Edition of Eldest has not been free from criticism. Some find it full of inconsistencies and contradictions. The Domia abr Wyrda was "written" by Heslant the Monk, but no monastic organization was ever described before, and no human religion, other than the Worshipers of Helgrind, has ever been identified. This argument was proved groundless in Brisingr, however, when the Arcaena were introduced. The Worshipers of Helgrind have a cathedral, which some claim sounds out of place in a fantasy world. The Empire eventually burned Heslant as a heretic, though the Empire has no state religion. Many critics consider this to be puzzling. They also question the random evil acts done by wicked kings. The Emperor Galbatorix burned libraries and King Palancar attacked the Dragon Riders, both for no reason other than just being mad. Lastly, some find that the piece as a whole is not at all academic and sounds more like the rest of the book. Other Inconsistencies Other, more minor inconsistencies have been noticed in the series. When she was attacked, Arya magically transports the egg to the Spine. Critics point out that if she possessed this ability, she could have transported the egg in the first place and not made the journey. However, this would have been highly inaccurate. Arya was desparate and not thinking when she transported the egg. Also, the book repeatedly informs the reader that Garrow is poor. However, Roran and Garrow are found eating chicken for breakfast, and Garrow is using his money to buy trinkets. Also in Carvahall, there is the butcher shop of Sloan. The author describes it as being scrupulously clean. Many critics hold that butcher shops are not clean, especially ones in a medieval setting. In the beginning of Eldest, the character Elain is five months pregnant. At the end of the novel, she is pregnant with the same child. However, critics claim, Eldest begins and ends in spring, making this impossible. (It is also possible that the book begins and ends in the same spring.) The elves are strict vegetarians; they refuse to eat meat and use animal products. Despite this, Arya is seen wearing a leather suit in Eragon. As revealed in Eragon, Morzan threw his sword at a three-year-old Murtagh. Also, it was said in the synopsis at the beginning of Eldest and Brisingr that Brom and Jeod stole the egg twenty years ago and killed Morzan in the process. However, Murtagh's 'last birthday' as of Eragon was his eighteenth, which would put his birth a year or two after Morzan's death if the "twenty years" number is correct. Thus, if the "twenty years" is not just an estimate or a "rounded up" number of years (like saying 'last decade' to mean 'seven years ago'), it is impossible for Morzan to have thrown his sword at a three-year-old Murtagh. Arya apparently said that she had not visited Du Weldenvarden for seventy years, but she invited Rhunön-elda to the Midsummers Feast three and a half years ago. In the book Brisingr Saphira shows Eragon a memory of Brom, where he speaks like a father to Eragon. In this memory, Brom wears his ring Aren. This is impossible since Brom has sent Aren to Ajihad together with his news about Eragon. Writing Style The criticism of the Inheritance Cycle is not limited to inconsistencies and imitation. The writing style of Christopher Paolini has also come under question. Many feel that the writing is emotionless and unable to make the readers feel for the characters. His portrayal of Eragon, some believe, is unrealistic, and that Eragon does not cope with situations like a real human would. Additionally they believe the writing style is excessively ornate and flowery, such as this example from Eldest: :"Every day since leaving the outpost of Ceris was a hazy dream of warm afternoons spent paddling up Eldor Lake and then the Gaena River. All around them, water gurgled through the tunnel of verdant pines that wound ever deeper into Du Weldenvarden. Eragon found traveling with the elves delightful. Narí and Lifaen were perpetually smiling, laughing, and singing songs, especially when Saphira was around. They rarely looked elsewhere or spoke of another subject but her in her presence. However, the elves were not human, no matter the similarity of appearance. They moved too quickly, too fluidly, for creatures born of simple flesh and blood. And when they spoke, they often used roundabout expressions and aphorisms that left Eragon more confused than when they began. In between their bursts of merriment, Lifaen and Narí would remain silent for hours, observing their surroundings with a glow of peaceful rapture on their faces. If Eragon or Orik attempted to talk with them during their contemplation, they would receive only a word or two in response." The verbosity of this passage and others is the reason that many have the opinion that Paolini over describes certain settings or characters. Although, this passage could be written so because of the vision he is trying to create in the reader's mind. He uses eloquent vocabulary to show what it was like for Eragon to travel through the "dream-like" realm of the elves. Publishing Many of those who criticise the Inheritance cycle also add that Paolini's work was published by his parents, and then by Knopf, leaving him without the need to rewrite it for different publishers after a rejection. Category:Real-life